IGF and Nutrition in Health and Disease, by Houston MS, Holly JMP, and Feldman EL. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 2005.
In recent years, there has been an increasing body of literature focusing on the importance of insulin-like growth factor (IGF). IGF is involved in many critical aspects of physiology and metabolism. And nutrition is closely related to IGF. IGF and Nutrition in Health and Disease, edited by M. Sue Houston, Jeffrey Holly, and Eva Feldman, is the first comprehensive volume devoted to the topic of nutrition and the IGF system in health and disease. The editors, who are well known for their research in this area, have enlisted an impressive group of contributors to write for this volume. Each chapter is filled with a wealth of information that provides both the scientific background as well as the practical application.
The book includes 18 well-written, critical, and informative chapters that are logically organized in 5 major sections. One of the strengths of the book is that each chapter is highlighted with "key points" at the very beginning of the chapter. This is a prelude to the chapter and helps to focus the reader. In addition, the chapters contain definitions of terms, with the abbreviation fully defined for the reader and consistent use of terms between chapters. There are numerous referenced tables, graphs, and figures as well as extensive, fully annotated up-to-date references. A conclusion section that provides the highlights of major findings is present in all of the chapters and a majority of them also includes a final section titled "Recommendations and Challenges for the Future." The reference lists at the end of the chapters are exhaustive, with some chapters including as many as 200 references. The clinical use of IGF and its binding proteins are discussed objectively and the status of the clinical research is detailed in a balanced, evidence-based analysis. The appendix contains a list of reviews and background information as well as a list of related professional organizations and journals that have an interest or focus on IGF.
The first section provides the reader with the fundamentals of the IGF system and the interactions with dietary manipulations. This section contains a chapter that outlines the history of the isolation of IGF and its establishment as a system that responds to starvation, fasting, severe injury, and other catabolic states. The basics of the mechanisms of action of the IGF system at the molecular, subcellular, and cellular levels are explained and form the foundation for all subsequent chapters. The second section examines the interactions between IGF deficiency and nutritional state, with special emphasis on conditions involved with food restriction. Included in this section is a chapter on the role of protein and energy deprivation on the IGF system as well as other body stems that respond to critical physical stressors. The magnifications of the molecular biology of the IGF stems in the whole animal are explained using models such as a specific knockout mouse model, a novel primate model and, where data are available, in patient populations. The differences in the levels and actions of the IGFs between man and rodent models are clearly stated. Completing this section is a more clinically focused chapter on the effects of chronic malnutrition related to severe illnesses such as cancer and HIV infection. Another unique chapter in the second section includes a definitive description of the methodologies available to assess nutritional status for both clinical studies and larger epidemiological studies.
The third section of the book contains 5 chapters that examine the current levels of understanding of the essential role of IGF in embryonic and fetal development, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and aging. Specific nutrients, such as zinc, that are critical to growth and development are reviewed in detail. The next chapter describes the information that has been derived from studying pygmy populations; several of the genetic defects that result in mutations to IGF genes are also discussed. The link between normal and abnormal cellular growth resulting in tumor formation is reviewed in detail in another comprehensive chapter concerning the fetus and the neonate. There are unique tables providing normative data on the levels of serum IGF and the binding proteins in males and females from neonate through age 20. There is also an in-depth discussion of the components of the IGF system found in human milk and their functions.
Research in the IGF field has shown that in addition to the systemic circulating levels of IGF, there are many tissues and organs that synthesize IGF in situ. Moreover, IGF-1 is critical to the maintenance of normal bone, skeletal and cardiac muscles, nerves, and the kidney. Each of these 4 areas is reviewed in depth in separate chapters.
The final section includes clinically based chapters that review diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, endocrine dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Those clinicians practicing in these areas will find these chapters to be very useful.
Although the area of IGF and nutrition is often approached on a scientific bench level, this book is very practical and is supported with a wealth of data-driven resources. In conclusion, IGF and Nutrition in Health and Disease provides health professionals in many areas of research and clinical practice with the most up-to-date, well-referenced, and easy-to-understand volume on the importance of the interactions between IGF system and nutrition in optimizing human health. This book will be a valuable reference for healthcare professionals and students interested in this emerging area of IGF.